Peanut Butter Pie

September 21, 2016 § Leave a comment

This is for peanut butter lovers.

With cream cheese and whipped cream, this pie is a lighter, creamier version of the spread. So good. Ambrosially addicting, if I may say so myself.

Browsing through some recipes lately, I came across this peanut butter pie and thought of using up that slightly consumed bottle sitting in the pantry for a while now. I am not a peanut butter fan. I mean, I like it but never top of mind so I often have a bottle lying around untouched for months.

And besides, I bought a bottle of Almond Butter that’s waiting its turn to be consumed. Yes, I am anal that way.

What You’ll Need

1 (8-inch) graham cracker pie crust (how to make your own)
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup peanut butter
8 oz. whipped cream

What You Do:

With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Blend in peanut butter and vanilla. Fold in whipped cream.

Spoon mixture into pie crust. Refrigerate for 4 hours or until firm.

Easy peasy.

The Little Things in Life

October 16, 2012 § 1 Comment

More often what brings a smile to my face are the little things in life.

Beautiful blooms, the smell of coffee brewing in the morning, the whiff of fresh bread, a brand new day… So many things to be thankful for and those little things that life seems to take for granted are what we need to zoom in on.

I was up in Baguio for work recently and the cool weather was just perfect for a planning session. Freshly baked blueberry muffins, especially that of Baguio Country Club brings sunshine to my day. And sunshine always makes me smile. I love rain too for without it there would never be rainbows, yes? I love the sound of raindrops – it soothes my senses and makes me want to cozy up in my little corner with some hot tea

and this addictive lemon pie that can perk even the gloomiest person at one bite.

Using graham cracker crust makes it so easy to make – no need to labor over a traditional crust.

The touch of sweetness in the graham is a wonderful balance to the tart, lemony filling.

When life hands you lemons, lots of them, make lemon pie.

What makes you happy?

Credits: Papers and elements from Scrap Matter’s Life Little Surprises kit. Alphas from Akiloune Designs

Lemon Pie

What you need:

10 graham crackers or 1 cup crushed
1/2 cup almonds or walnuts
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
4 egg yolks
1 14-ounce can sweetened, condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
Whipped cream for serving

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
Break the graham crackers into large pieces and place them in the bowl of your food processor. Pulse several times, until you have fine crumbs. Place the crumbs in a medium bowl. Alternatively, if you can find crushed graham crackers in your grocery store, use about 1 cup – it makes life so much simpler.
Place the almonds in the food processor and pulse until they are finely chopped, then add them to the crumbs.
Mix the butter with the crumb mixture until well blended, then press the mixture along the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie pan.
Bake the crust for about 12 minutes, until it’s lightly browned. Set the crust aside.
Place the egg yolks in a bowl. Mix on medium until the yolks are pale yellow and slightly thickened, about two minutes.
Reduce the speed to low and add the condensed milk. Slowly add the lemon juice, then turn off the mixer and stir in the lemon zest.
Pour the mixture into the pie pan and bake for about 15 minutes, until the filling is almost set but still moist.
Allow the pie to cool completely, then cover and refrigerate it for at least 8 hours. Serve with whipped cream.

Enjoy!!